Garmin GPS Review

Magellan Maestro 4040 is designed with elegance, simplicity and advanced features to save you time and effort while you’re on the road. Magellan Maestro 4040 will make your driving more pleasurable and less stressful. Simply enter virtually any address on its freshly-designed graphical touch screen, or select from 4.5 million preprogrammed points of interest (PoI) and get turn-by-turn voice guidance to anywhere in the United States , Canada, and Puerto Rico.

The SayWhere text-to-speech feature will tell you the street name for each road, so you can keep focus on your driving. Its smart buttons and Magellan’s unique QuickSpell function enables error free spelling to minimize steps so you get a customized route to your destination with only a few touches of the screen. It offers several AAA features especially suited for members. Use the Bluetooth wireless technology to connect this GPS with your Bluetooth-enabled phone for hands-free phone calls.

This Magellan Maestro 4040 is perhaps the nicest-looking portable GPS navigation system that ever released by Magellan up to now. Compared to their Magellan RoadMate 2200T, Maestro 4040 sports a classic black-and-silver color scheme and a more refined and streamlined design. It’s got a sleek profile and compact dimensions–at at 3.7 inches high by 5 inches wide by 0.8 inch deep, and weighing 8.5 ounces–for easy portability between vehicles.

Magellan equipped their Maestro 4040 with a SiRF Star III GPS chip and bundled with preloaded Navteq maps includes the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico maps. If you need help getting to a specific destination, you can select Enter Address to input a specific address or intersection to get directions. If you don’t need it you can just tap the Show Map icon to get an overview map of your location.

Magellan Maestro 4040 Features:

* Sophisticated and simple: Streamlined touch-screen buttons minimize steps to locate a destination
* Sleek design: Integrated GPS antenna provides excellent satellite reception in a slim and compact design
*Graphical interactive maps: Maps and destinations for the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Canada are built-in, so you can travel far and wide and always know where you are and where you’re going
*Traffic-enabled: Add the Magellan TrafficKit™ to your Maestro 4040 to get live traffic incident reports; activation and subscription fees apply
*Voice command upgradeable: Add Voice Command control for hands-free operation with an upgrade from Magellan; activation fee applies
*Bird’s-eye 3D view: Clearly see your surroundings in 2D or 3D; also choose between Map View, TrueView™ 3D split screen, and Maneuver List
*Rechargeable battery: Navigate even when you don’t have access to power
*Multi-destination routing: Select up to 20 destinations and choose the order that best fits your needs
*SmartDetour™: Automatically prompts you to route around suddenly slow freeway traffic
*Auto re-route: Never miss a turn and quickly get back on track whenever you make a detour
*Auto night view: Adjusts color and contrast for easy night viewing
*QuickSpell™: Easily enter addresses with unique auto-complete feature that even corrects spelling
*Complete mobility: Transfer to any vehicle with no installation
4.5 million points of interest (POIs): Optimized database to easily find gas stations, restaurants, ATMs, and more. And with smart location you can search by name, category, and region. There’s even a Coffee category so you can quickly find caffeine whenever you need it.
*Interactive POI icons: Touch an onscreen icon for a nearby destination, see name and address, and get an instant route
Customizable route method: Fastest time, shortest distance, least or most use of freeways, avoid toll roads
*Route exclusion: Select streets and freeways to avoid so you can get there your way
*Address book: Create and store personal points of interest for easy reoccurring trips
*Instant locate: One touch shows your location; quickly advise roadside assistance or emergency services

Magellan Maestro 4040 Specifications:

Model Number: 980920-01
Case: High-impact plastic
Base map: 50 United States, Canada, Puerto Rico (preloaded)
Display: 4.3-inch WQVGA full color touch screen
Data storage: SD card slot
Antenna: Integrated multidirectional patch
Receiver: 20-channel SiRFstarIII receiver, WAAS/EGNOS enabled
GPS accuracy: 10 to 16 feet / 3 to 5 meters
WAAS/EGNOS accuracy: Less than 7 meters
Power supply: Integrated rechargeable battery
Battery life: Up to 3 hours
PC interface: USB, Bluetooth wireless
POIs: 4.5 million
Voice command control: Not available
Dimensions: 5.0 x 3.75 x 0.88 inches (W x H x D)
Weight: 8.5 ounces
What’s in the Box: Maestro 4040 GPS unit, windshield mount, basic cradle, AC wall power supply/charger, cigarette lighter adapter, USB cable, adhesive disk for dash mounting, nylon protective pouch

Customer Review: Is this the best GPS?
I’ve been using GPS systems for several years, and I’m always asked “what’s the best GPS?” Unfortunately, that’s not an easy question to answer. Just like there’s no “best” car for everyone, there’s no such thing as the “best” GPS.

That being said, this is a very fine GPS system, and one well worth checking out. I’ve owned two other Magellan systems in the past (a Roadmate 500 and a 750M), and the improvements in this system are wonderful. Excellent screen, clear even in full sun, easy to use - truly a “turn it on and go” setup. I’ve always been especially fond of the way Magellan announces upcoming turns - they are the only GPS that offers a incredibly accurate “bing-bong” sound right before the turn. The key word there is ACCURATE. Yes, Garmin has an upcoming turn tone, but more often than not, it’s too early or too late to be effective. Magellan gets it right every time. That, and their split screen turn view is what makes this a must-own for me. The AAA guidebook is icing on the cake, and I’m finding that to be a real time saver - much better than the typical POI database since the places have been vetted by AAA. If you’re a fan of the AAA paper guidebooks, you will absolutely love having it accessible through a GPS.

I also currently have a Garmin 2610 and have found that the Magellan/Garmin combo is what works best for me. The Garmins have some advantages over the Magellans and vice versa. Together, they make a great combo.

But, if you want to buy just one GPS, the Magellan 4040 is a great choice. The Garmin Nuvi line is also quite nice, but their wide-screen versions are considerably more expensive than the 4040. If it came down to the Nuvi 3XX model or the Magellan 40XX models, I feel the Magellan gives you more for your money. On the other hand, Garmin offers better support, more frequent map/firmware updates, and is an easier company to deal with by far. See - I told you that there’s no such thing as the “best” GPS! Everything’s a trade off.

I’ve also been impressed with the user interface of the Tom Tom units but, in my area, the TeleAtlas maps they use are rather poor. Both Garmin and Magellan use Navtec maps, which (on the East Coast, at least) are much better.

Some people comment on the U turn issue. For me, it’s never happened to any extent. My Garmin, in fact, tends to be far more insistent on U turns than the Magellan when you go off-route. I’ve also found that the Magellan (this plus all the others I’ve used) tend to give either the same or better routes than the Garmins (I’m on my third Garmin as well). Not all the time — once in a while you’ll get a more roundabout route on the Magellan than the Garmin, but those cases are rare.

In short, you will be happy with this unit. If you’re on the fence, buy this and a Garmin, and do a head to head comparison to see which one works best for your needs and send back the loser. Chances are, however, you’ll end up like me with two (or sometimes three) GPS systems on your dash.

UPDATE 5/6/07: Just took the Maestro for a 450 mile trip — continue to be very impressed with the unit. In a side-by-side test, it routinely beat the Garmin 2610 in determining that I was off route and recalculated the new route before the Garmin even realized I was not where I should be! (Off-route situations were due to me making an unplanned side trip, and not due to bad directions from either GPS). There’s also a firmware update available from Magellan that allows you to use the preview turn function at any time (just like with past Magellan units). Very easy to install and, although it warns that you should backup your address book prior to the upgrade, it did not delete any of my addresses. It’s always a good idea to backup your data, but the firmware upgrade does not seem to affect it.

Customer Review: Widescreen, Natural Colors, Easy on the eyes!!!
This is my favorite GPS ever. I’m confused by some of the reviews here. The screen and colors go way beyond expectation. I’m familiar with older magellan product and have always had excellent performance in the past. This is no exception.

The main reason I wanted this one is the wide screen. It gives clear detail of the roads off the highway while giving clear directions ahead.
The touch screen goes way beyond prior units. Its very easy to operate and insert address. The points of interest are nice on my prior units but this does it by exit. No points of interest behind like others.

Do yourself a favor and see what sub $400 can get you here. Its an incredible deal.

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Tags: review, garmin, garmin gps review, electronic, gps review, shopping, garmin gps, gps

Magellan Maestro 4040 is designed with elegance, simplicity and advanced features to save you time and effort while you’re on the road. Magellan Maestro 4040 will make your driving more pleasurable and less stressful. Simply enter virtually any address on its freshly-designed graphical touch screen, or select from 4.5 million preprogrammed points of interest (PoI) and get turn-by-turn voice guidance to anywhere in the United States , Canada, and Puerto Rico.

The SayWhere text-to-speech feature will tell you the street name for each road, so you can keep focus on your driving. Its smart buttons and Magellan’s unique QuickSpell function enables error free spelling to minimize steps so you get a customized route to your destination with only a few touches of the screen. It offers several AAA features especially suited for members. Use the Bluetooth wireless technology to connect this GPS with your Bluetooth-enabled phone for hands-free phone calls.

This Magellan Maestro 4040 is perhaps the nicest-looking portable GPS navigation system that ever released by Magellan up to now. Compared to their Magellan RoadMate 2200T, Maestro 4040 sports a classic black-and-silver color scheme and a more refined and streamlined design. It’s got a sleek profile and compact dimensions–at at 3.7 inches high by 5 inches wide by 0.8 inch deep, and weighing 8.5 ounces–for easy portability between vehicles.

Magellan equipped their Maestro 4040 with a SiRF Star III GPS chip and bundled with preloaded Navteq maps includes the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico maps. If you need help getting to a specific destination, you can select Enter Address to input a specific address or intersection to get directions. If you don’t need it you can just tap the Show Map icon to get an overview map of your location.

Magellan Maestro 4040 Features:

* Sophisticated and simple: Streamlined touch-screen buttons minimize steps to locate a destination
* Sleek design: Integrated GPS antenna provides excellent satellite reception in a slim and compact design
*Graphical interactive maps: Maps and destinations for the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Canada are built-in, so you can travel far and wide and always know where you are and where you’re going
*Traffic-enabled: Add the Magellan TrafficKit™ to your Maestro 4040 to get live traffic incident reports; activation and subscription fees apply
*Voice command upgradeable: Add Voice Command control for hands-free operation with an upgrade from Magellan; activation fee applies
*Bird’s-eye 3D view: Clearly see your surroundings in 2D or 3D; also choose between Map View, TrueView™ 3D split screen, and Maneuver List
*Rechargeable battery: Navigate even when you don’t have access to power
*Multi-destination routing: Select up to 20 destinations and choose the order that best fits your needs
*SmartDetour™: Automatically prompts you to route around suddenly slow freeway traffic
*Auto re-route: Never miss a turn and quickly get back on track whenever you make a detour
*Auto night view: Adjusts color and contrast for easy night viewing
*QuickSpell™: Easily enter addresses with unique auto-complete feature that even corrects spelling
*Complete mobility: Transfer to any vehicle with no installation
4.5 million points of interest (POIs): Optimized database to easily find gas stations, restaurants, ATMs, and more. And with smart location you can search by name, category, and region. There’s even a Coffee category so you can quickly find caffeine whenever you need it.
*Interactive POI icons: Touch an onscreen icon for a nearby destination, see name and address, and get an instant route
Customizable route method: Fastest time, shortest distance, least or most use of freeways, avoid toll roads
*Route exclusion: Select streets and freeways to avoid so you can get there your way
*Address book: Create and store personal points of interest for easy reoccurring trips
*Instant locate: One touch shows your location; quickly advise roadside assistance or emergency services

Magellan Maestro 4040 Specifications:

Model Number: 980920-01
Case: High-impact plastic
Base map: 50 United States, Canada, Puerto Rico (preloaded)
Display: 4.3-inch WQVGA full color touch screen
Data storage: SD card slot
Antenna: Integrated multidirectional patch
Receiver: 20-channel SiRFstarIII receiver, WAAS/EGNOS enabled
GPS accuracy: 10 to 16 feet / 3 to 5 meters
WAAS/EGNOS accuracy: Less than 7 meters
Power supply: Integrated rechargeable battery
Battery life: Up to 3 hours
PC interface: USB, Bluetooth wireless
POIs: 4.5 million
Voice command control: Not available
Dimensions: 5.0 x 3.75 x 0.88 inches (W x H x D)
Weight: 8.5 ounces
What’s in the Box: Maestro 4040 GPS unit, windshield mount, basic cradle, AC wall power supply/charger, cigarette lighter adapter, USB cable, adhesive disk for dash mounting, nylon protective pouch

Customer Review: Is this the best GPS?
I’ve been using GPS systems for several years, and I’m always asked “what’s the best GPS?” Unfortunately, that’s not an easy question to answer. Just like there’s no “best” car for everyone, there’s no such thing as the “best” GPS.

That being said, this is a very fine GPS system, and one well worth checking out. I’ve owned two other Magellan systems in the past (a Roadmate 500 and a 750M), and the improvements in this system are wonderful. Excellent screen, clear even in full sun, easy to use - truly a “turn it on and go” setup. I’ve always been especially fond of the way Magellan announces upcoming turns - they are the only GPS that offers a incredibly accurate “bing-bong” sound right before the turn. The key word there is ACCURATE. Yes, Garmin has an upcoming turn tone, but more often than not, it’s too early or too late to be effective. Magellan gets it right every time. That, and their split screen turn view is what makes this a must-own for me. The AAA guidebook is icing on the cake, and I’m finding that to be a real time saver - much better than the typical POI database since the places have been vetted by AAA. If you’re a fan of the AAA paper guidebooks, you will absolutely love having it accessible through a GPS.

I also currently have a Garmin 2610 and have found that the Magellan/Garmin combo is what works best for me. The Garmins have some advantages over the Magellans and vice versa. Together, they make a great combo.

But, if you want to buy just one GPS, the Magellan 4040 is a great choice. The Garmin Nuvi line is also quite nice, but their wide-screen versions are considerably more expensive than the 4040. If it came down to the Nuvi 3XX model or the Magellan 40XX models, I feel the Magellan gives you more for your money. On the other hand, Garmin offers better support, more frequent map/firmware updates, and is an easier company to deal with by far. See - I told you that there’s no such thing as the “best” GPS! Everything’s a trade off.

I’ve also been impressed with the user interface of the Tom Tom units but, in my area, the TeleAtlas maps they use are rather poor. Both Garmin and Magellan use Navtec maps, which (on the East Coast, at least) are much better.

Some people comment on the U turn issue. For me, it’s never happened to any extent. My Garmin, in fact, tends to be far more insistent on U turns than the Magellan when you go off-route. I’ve also found that the Magellan (this plus all the others I’ve used) tend to give either the same or better routes than the Garmins (I’m on my third Garmin as well). Not all the time — once in a while you’ll get a more roundabout route on the Magellan than the Garmin, but those cases are rare.

In short, you will be happy with this unit. If you’re on the fence, buy this and a Garmin, and do a head to head comparison to see which one works best for your needs and send back the loser. Chances are, however, you’ll end up like me with two (or sometimes three) GPS systems on your dash.

UPDATE 5/6/07: Just took the Maestro for a 450 mile trip — continue to be very impressed with the unit. In a side-by-side test, it routinely beat the Garmin 2610 in determining that I was off route and recalculated the new route before the Garmin even realized I was not where I should be! (Off-route situations were due to me making an unplanned side trip, and not due to bad directions from either GPS). There’s also a firmware update available from Magellan that allows you to use the preview turn function at any time (just like with past Magellan units). Very easy to install and, although it warns that you should backup your address book prior to the upgrade, it did not delete any of my addresses. It’s always a good idea to backup your data, but the firmware upgrade does not seem to affect it.

Customer Review: Widescreen, Natural Colors, Easy on the eyes!!!
This is my favorite GPS ever. I’m confused by some of the reviews here. The screen and colors go way beyond expectation. I’m familiar with older magellan product and have always had excellent performance in the past. This is no exception.

The main reason I wanted this one is the wide screen. It gives clear detail of the roads off the highway while giving clear directions ahead.
The touch screen goes way beyond prior units. Its very easy to operate and insert address. The points of interest are nice on my prior units but this does it by exit. No points of interest behind like others.

Do yourself a favor and see what sub $400 can get you here. Its an incredible deal.

Bookmark to:

Tags: review, garmin, garmin gps review, electronic, gps review, shopping, garmin gps, gps